Chapter 155: Ultimate Boss!

Zulong died, dying in a glorious yet extremely miserable way.

Calling it glorious is because it first broke through the Great Luo Peak, becoming the de facto strongest in the Primordial Wilderness.

Moreover, it fought one against three, battling Jiaoming, Hongjun, and Zufeng for a full five yun before falling; with such a record, Zulong could proudly boast in all directions!

Calling it extremely miserable is because it had long been suppressed by Jiaoming in the Crystal Palace, unable to turn the tables, so it could only furiously vent its resentment by wildly opening the harem.

After painstakingly reaching the Great Luo Peak and becoming the de facto strongest in the Primordial Wilderness, it should have officially entered the "Arrogant Heaven Dragon" gratifying plot, yet it fell at the hands of Jiaoming, Hongjun, and Zufeng before its realm could even stabilize.

The mighty strongest of the Primordial Wilderness, miserable in death and still miserable after death……

Jiaoming watched as Qinglong, filled with hatred and sorrow, carried away Zulong's corpse; he had no intention of exterminating the roots, nor did he wish to confront the son and argue why his father deserved to die.

Zulong was not innocent.

Zufeng sensed Jiaoming's complex state of mind and thus gently comforted him.

I know.

Jiaoming closed his eyes:

If Zuqilin was forcibly sacrificed before it could even commit a crime, then Zulong got what it deserved.

Even if someone was scheming against it, it was not blameless, because the slaughter of the Qilin Clan was no secret; Zulong surely knew someone was using it to covertly harm him.

Its correct choice should have been to firmly resist at the very onset of the slaughter, both to protect the Dragon Clan's safety and to proactively prove its innocence to Jiaoming.

But alas, Zulong clearly knew what this would lead to, yet still indulged in the slaughter until it broke through the Great Luo Peak.

This only shows its restless heart and its ambition to seize power's limit and overturn the situation:

From beginning to end, Zulong never resigned to being suppressed by Jiaoming; its nature never changed, and for the sake of attaining the Dao, it could kill its elder brother Zuqilin or feign deafness and mute consent to the slaughter.

Perhaps in the eyes of its son Qinglong this is not a fault, but to Jiaoming, who wholeheartedly seeks peace in the Primordial Wilderness, it has long deserved death!

If we spare it this time, once Zulong has accumulated enough power, it will surely kill all who oppose it—Jiaoming and Hongjun won't escape, and Zufeng could become a tool for its Dao attainment, forced to ignite the Phoenix Clan and spark a war between the two clans……

In short, Zulong's death was self‑inflicted and also served everyone's interests.

Even this manner of death fulfills the promise it once made to Jiaoming:

If it ever intended to harm Jiaoming in the future, it would willingly be refined to death by the sun!

And Jiaoming, who possesses the Golden Crow True Fire, is in a sense no different from the sun……

As for Qinglong, if it insists on seeing its father as blameless and thus bears grudge against Jiaoming, Jiaoming would not go so far as to exterminate it completely.

He doesn't care about enemies; as long as Qinglong does not truly threaten everyone's lives, Jiaoming can tolerate its existence……

A moment of silence passed, and the three departed.

Only dragon blood remained, rippling with the green waves, staining the shore of this eastern sea.

……

【Zulong has fallen; of the Three Ancestors, two are gone, leaving only Zufeng.】

【Your plan succeeded two‑thirds… no, you have actually already succeeded, for without Zulong and Zuqilin slaughtering each other, Zufeng's chance of attaining the Dao has dwindled to near zero; as long as you keep her in check, she will cause no trouble.】

【The problem of the Three Clans Great War that has troubled you for two lifetimes has been solved, and thoroughly so!】

【Without the Three Clans Great War, Hongjun no longer needs to sacrifice countless beings to stop the war.】

【Thus, the perfect freedom you have longed for has truly arrived……】

【But you still have a big question: who exactly is the mastermind behind this scheme?】

【This question is both simple and complex, for the few who have the ability and motive to carry out this scheme in heaven and earth are not many, and they all happen to be beside you.】

【Hongjun? Zufeng?】

【Holding this doubt, you sought them out one by one……】

【"Dao friend, speak plainly—is it you?"】

【You got straight to the point, asking in a heavy tone.】

【Hongjun froze at that, then waved his hands repeatedly: "How could it be me? Dao friend, you know I'm a good person!"】

【A good person?】

【You couldn't help but think of the previous two lives' ruthless Rahu… Hongjun claiming to be a good person is somewhat laughable.】

【"I know your Dao‑attainment plan."】

【You didn't want to play riddles with him, speaking directly: "Now that Zulong is dead, and there are countless dragon‑kind spirits it has enlightened in heaven and earth, if you again seize the opportunity to slaughter, then myriad true spirits will become ownerless, and your indirect method of Dao attainment……"】

【Hongjun raised an eyebrow: "Is my image in your eyes really so terrible!"】

【Stimulated by your suspicion, Hongjun spoke righteously: "Although I indeed very much desire to attain the Dao, the Dao is never my goal; it is merely a means to achieve my purpose."】

【What, then, is Hongjun's purpose in attaining the Dao?】

【"Peace!"】

【Hongjun said in a deep voice: "My purpose in attaining the Dao has always been the peace of the Primordial Wilderness, so that all spirits may live happily; now that the purpose is fulfilled, why would I still strive for the Dao's position?"】

【Dao friend! You don't understand me at all—I, Hongjun, am clearly a great good person!】

【Faced with Hongjun's righteous declaration, even if you harbored doubts, you'd better not show them, for excessive suspicion easily hurts hearts……】

【After leaving Hongjun, you then sought out Zufeng.】

【Facing Zufeng, you hesitated a bit, feeling you couldn't be too direct; your wording should be carefully weighed……】

【But Zufeng saw through your thoughts, and without waiting for you to speak, she sighed: "I have no need for that."】

【She self‑mocked: "We Three Ancestors have known each other since time immemorial; only we three could attain the Dao. If I truly intended to attain the Dao alone, I should have long gone to enlighten the Phoenix Clan, rather than sit idly on Mount Yujing watching the Dragon Clan spread across the Primordial Wilderness."】

【Moreover, if I truly intended to attain the Dao alone, what awaits me would surely be Zulong's fate……】

【Zufeng looked at you with a complex gaze, making your heart twitch: "Indeed, I have just killed her two old friends; of the Three Ancestors, only she remains, and in absolute strength she no longer has the chance to turn traitor and strike back."】

【Zufeng is no fool; under these circumstances she could not repeat Zulong's mistake. In other words, if she wishes to attain the Dao, the best way is to enlighten the Phoenix Clan and have it mutually slaughter with the Dragon Clan.】

【Now that the two ancestors are dead, her opportunity to attain the Dao has likewise vanished……】

【……】

Now you can only sit alone under the old tree at the summit of Jade Capital Mountain, quietly reflecting on what came before and after.

"Hongjun spoke with righteous severity, and Zu Feng also proved his innocence."

You are somewhat puzzled: since both have explanations, who exactly created those kirin tribes? And why must that person kill Zu Long?

Could it be that Zu Long was previously overbearing and arrogant, thus provoking some mysterious person, but that person couldn't defeat Zu Long, so they waited for an opportunity to frame him for revenge?

The more you thought, the more absurd it seemed, so you shook your head and threw these wild fantasies out of your mind…

Regardless, the matter is already past; Zu Long, this time bomb, has been forcibly dismantled. With your watch, the Primordial Wasteland will never again suffer natural and man-made calamities stirred by those who aspire to the Dao!

Given that both the Half-Step Saint and Saint realms are stuck, you have this confidence.

Indeed, that is true; time flows slowly, one epoch after another passes… yet the warmongers who would disrupt peace still have not appeared.

But worldly chaos often needs no mastermind scheming in the shadows; while you focus all your attention on the innately divine beings, a turmoil arising from the myriad spirits of the vast dragon clan gradually intensifies.

Some epoch, some age, some period: the dragon clan of the Eastern Wasteland erupted in chaotic war, two major domains contending for territory and resources, casualties countless.

In your great anger, you publicly beheaded the two Dragon Kings, hanging their heads outside Jade Capital Mountain.

Some epoch, some age, some period: the dragon clan of Central Province erupted in chaotic war, several major domains vying for control of the Sky-Supporting Mountain, fighting to a stalemate.

You decisively struck again, scorching each participating Dragon King to charred corpses, your mighty might shocking the dragon clan of Central Province.

Some epoch, some age, some period: the dragon clan of the Southern Wasteland erupted in chaotic war…

Small wars escalated to large wars, large wars to chaotic wars; after Zu Long's death, the dragon host of the Primordial Wasteland leaderless, for their own interests war broke out at a moment's notice.

This time, war was not stirred by warmongers; you possessed Great Luo magic power but had no specific target to strike at, and if you absolutely had to strike…

Then, from the Four Seas to the Four Wastelands to Central Province, throughout the heavens and earth of the Primordial Wasteland, you are everyone's enemy!

You repeatedly beheaded the Dragon Kings who started wars, your methods growing ever more cruel, seeking to end this endless conflict with personal violence.

But contrary to your wishes, you slew the old Dragon Kings, yet the new ones would continue to fight; your efforts were useless, instead making your reputation ever closer to that of a tyrannical demon lord, shocking all beings and… breeding resentment.

You opposed war and slavery, but lacking talent for governance, you could only hope everyone would forever live in small states with few people, any expansion inviting your strike.

But as the population grew, resources remained limited, and societal development inherently accompanies war and plunder; limited resources cannot support near-infinite population growth.

In other words, the more you suppress war, the fiercer future wars become; your repeated suppressive measures only hinder societal development instead.

Your very existence has provoked opposition throughout the Primordial Wasteland, making you the focal point of all contradictions…

After gradually realizing this problem, you began to doubt whether your pursuit was just, never having imagined the present state of affairs.

You, single-mindedly maintaining peace and tranquility, have not faced another great enemy that harms the myriad spirits after the Three Ancestors, for you yourself are the final boss set before the myriad spirits of the Primordial Wasteland!

…

(Chapter complete)